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It's certainly not for every garden, but this new yucca with steel-blue leaves might be just the right specimen plant for a dull corner of a perennial border.

Like all yuccas, 'Sapphire Skies' offers a certain architectural assertiveness and showiness that appeals to many gardeners. The swordlike foliage on the shrubby plant remains in winter, and deer-resistant yuccas require almost no maintenance.

Known botanically as Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies,' this trunk-forming perennial will reach a height and width of 3 to 4 feet in seven to eight years. It's hardy to USDA Zone 5, but you should probably give it some sort of protection the first couple of winters.

Siting is key for 'Sapphire Skies.' It wants hot, baking sun and extremely well-drained, alkaline soil. Sandy loam would be ideal. A large container would be fine, too.

Huge spikes of ivory-colored flowers appear in July and August, but it may take a few years to get 'Sapphire Skies' to bloom for you.